One-piece guard rail



, E935., .1. v. STEWART QuE-PIECE GUARD RAIL- Filed March 51, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 @Muze/Hoz Nov., 5, i935. J. v. STEWART ONE-PIECE GUARD RAIL Filed March 3l, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Nov.. 5, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ONE-PIECE GUARD RAIL John V.. Stewart, Johnstown, Pa.

Application March 31, 1933, Serial No. 663,775

6 Claims.

My invention relates to tracks and rails, particularly to guard rails.

Owing to the restricted space between the guard rail and the main rail with which it is associated, diiiiculties are presented to the fastening of the guard rail at its inner edge adjacent the main rail.

- Heretofore means have been proposed to overcome this difficulty by providing extensions to underlie or underlap the main rail and thus hold the guard rail against upward or outwardly turning movement, but these means have required special and cumbersome rearrangements of the main rail mounting.

An object of my present invention is to provide a simple and eiective means for securing the inner side of a guard rail to the base of a main rail without interfering with the mounting of the main rail on its rail plate and in a manner to permit the guard rail to be mounted and Secured in position or be removed without altering the main rail or its mounting.

The features of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a plan view of a rail and guard rail and mounting embodying a preferred form of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the guard rail; Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are vertical sections of the rail and guard rail taken on lines 3 3; 4-4 and 5--5 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is an end elevation of the rail and guard rail.

'In the embodiment of the invention shown in the accompanying drawings, a main rail I0 and guard rail II are mounted on rail plates I2 which extend beneath both rails in transverse relation thereto and which are in turn mounted on ties I3'. Any suitable type of plate I2 may be employed; a plate of the general type shown in Buchholz Patent 1,640,750, granted August 30, 1927, being shown by way of example. This plate is provided with a pair of ribs I4 and I5, one at each edge of the base flange of the rail I 0, and

provided with retaining bolts I6 and I'I to secure clamps I8 and I9 against the upper surfaces of the rail flanges, and thus hold the rail securely in position. A similar rib 20 is provided on'each plate together with a bolt 2| and clamp 22 to secure the outer flange 23 of the guard rail II.

The guard rail II is provided with an upwardly inclined web 2 4 which is so shaped, as shown inFig. 1, as to diverge from the rail I0 at the ends of the guard rail. This web 24 may be strengthened by vertical reinforcing ribs 25 and (Cl. 23S-19) 26 at the inner and outer sides of the web re' spectively.

As shown in Fig. 5 certain of the clamps I8 may overlap the inner edge of the base flange 21 of the guard rail II and thus serve to hold it 5 in position. In other cases, as shown for example in Fig. 3, lthe clamps I8 rest at one side at the upper edge of the flange of the rail I0, and on the opposite side directly on the base plate I2. The mounting shown in Fig. 3 is illustrated in 10 Fig. 1 as used in the innermost pair of plates, and that shown in Fig. 5, as used on the plates next to this innermost pair.

To secure the guard rail against outwardly turning stresses, it is anchored to the under suri5 face of the main rail I0 at intervals by means of projections or extensions 28 which are depressed below the level of the guard rail flanges 23 and 21 and extend sidewise to a substantial distance below the rail I0. These projections or extensions 20 28 are placed between the plates I2 and ties I3 of the trackway, and may,. therefore, be readily inserted after the main rail I0 has been secured in position.

The upper surface of the projection 28 is ap- 25' proximately at the same level as the lower surface of the guard rail. In those cases in which a shim is used on the main rail, but not on the guard rail, as is the case in the modication shown in Figs. 3 and 5 of the drawings, the 30 guard rail is so constructed that the upper surface of extension 28 will be above the lower surface of the guard rail by a distance equal to the width of the shim. The extension will then t tightly against the bottom surface of the rail. 35 The extension 28 is strengthened by means of a rib 29. By having the rib 29 at approximately the same position on the rail as the ribs 25 and 26, a maximum strengthening of the rail is attained. 40

To enable the nuts to be fastened on the bolts I6, the guard rail is provided with elongated slots 30 through which a wrench may be inserted.

Through the above arrangement, a guard rail and mounting therefor are provided which enables the rail to be readily inserted and anchored to the main rail after the latter has been secured in place and without interfering in any way with the mounting of the main rail or necessitating any changes therein. 50

What I claim is:

1. A rail structure comprising a main rail and a guard rail, tie plates supporting said rails, said tie plates having three ribs extending longitudif nally of the direction of said rails and spaced to 55 provide a seat for said main rail between an intermediate rib and an outer rib and to provide a seat for the guard rail between the intermediate rib and the other outer rib, clamps securing the edges of said main rail and the outer edge of said guard rail to said plates, and extensions from the inner edge of said guard rail between said plates below said main rail to secure the latter against outward overturn, said extensions comprising flat plates the upper surfaces of which are substantially on the level of the lower surface ofthe rail base and decreasing in width toward their ends and having downwardly depending vertical strengthening ribs extending below and united to the base of the rail and decreasing in depth toward their ends.

2. A rail structure comprising a main rail and a guard rail, tie plates supporting said rails, said tie plates having three ribs extending longitudinally of the direction of said rails and spaced to provide a seat for said main rail between an intermediate rib and an outer rib and to provide a seat for the guard rail between the intermediate rib and the other outer rib, clamps securing both edges of said rails to said plates, and extensions from the inner edge of said guard rail between said plates below said main rail to 'secure the latter against outward overturn, said extensions comprising at plates the upper surfaces of which are substantially on the level of the lower surface of the rail base and decreasing in width toward their ends and having downwardly depending vertical strengthening ribs extending below and united to the base of the rail and decreasing in depth toward their ends. 3. A rail structure comprising a main rail and a guard rail, tie plates supporting said rails, said tie plates having three ribs extending longitudinally of the direction of said rails and spaced to provide a seat for said main rail between an intermediate rib and an outer rib and to provide a seat for the guard rail between the intermediate rib and the other outer rib, clamps secured to said ribs securing the edges of the said main rail and the outer edge of said guard rail to said plates, and extensions from the inner edge of said guard rail between said plates below said main rail to secure the latteragainst outward overturn, said extensions comprising fiat plates the upper surfaces of which are substantially on the level of the lower surface of the rail base and decreasing in width toward their ends and having downwardly depending vertical strengthening ribs extending below and united to the base of the rail and decreasing in depth toward their ends.

4. A rail structure comprising a main rail and a guard rail, tie plates supportingsaid rails, said tie plates having three ribs extending longitudinally of the direction of said rails and spaced to provide a seat for -said main 'rail between an intermediate rib and an outer rib and to provide a seat for the guard rail between the intermediate rib and the other outer rib, clamps securing the edges of said main rail and the outer edge of said guard rail to said plates, and extensions from the inner edge of said guard rail between said plates below said main rail to secure the latter against outward overturn, said extensions comprising flat plates the upper surfaces of which are substantially on the level of the lower surface of the rail base and decreasing in width toward their ends and having downwardly depending vertical strengthening ribs extending below and united to 15 the base of the rail and decreasing in depth toward their ends, said guard rail having a, longitudinal web inclined upwardly and toward said main rail and having sidewise extending reinforcing abutments.

5. A rail structure comprising a main rail and 20 a guard rail, tie plates supporting said rails, said tie plates having three ribs extending longitudi nally of the direction of said rails and spaced to provide a seat for said main rail between an intermediate rib and an outer rib and to provide a seat for the guard rail between the intermediate rib and the other outer rib, clamps secured t`o said ribs securing the edges of the said main rail and the outer edge of said guard rail to said plates, so

and extensions from the inner edge of said guard rail` between said plates below said main rail to secure the latter against outward overturn, said extensions comprising at plates the upper surfaces of which are substantially on the level of the lower surface of the rail base and decreasing in width toward their ends and having downwardly depending vertical strengthening ribs extending belowl'and united to the base of the rail and decreasing in depth toward their ends, said guard rail having a vertical longitudinal web and holes through said web positioned to give access to the clamps secured to said intermediate rib.

6. A rail structure comprising a main rail and a guard rail, tie plates supporting said rails, said tie plates having three ribs extending longitudinally of the direction of said rails and spaced to provide a seat for said main rail between an intermediate rib and an outer rib and to provide a seat for the guard rail between the intermediate 5 rib and the other outer rib, clamps securing the edges of said main rail and the outer edge of said guard rail to said plates, and extensions from the inner edge of said guard rail between said plates below said main rail to secure the latter against outward overturn, said extensions having a downwardly depending strengthening rib. v

JOHN V. STEWART. 

